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eBay listing counts have jumped as eBay moves Store listings into core search results today. The change, announced in January, means shoppers will see many times more listings when the search for items on the site. (See "One Fixed Price Listing Format.")

According to PowerSellersUnite.com, eBay listings have jumped 55% - see its Auction Site Count.

To get a sense of how these changes will impact shopping on eBay, I conducted a search for "mccoy pottery baby shoe" on eBay in one browser window that displayed the old search methodology in which Store items were segregated from core listings. I found 4 results found for mccoy pottery baby shoe in core, and 18 results in Store. A short while later, I conducted the same search in another browser window that showed results with eBay's new changes that are currently rolling out. In those results, there were 21 results in core. (Note that in the "before" shot, the first auction listing ended before I took a screenshot of the "after" results - that's why there are 22 total results in Before and 21 total results in After.)

The search comparison demonstrates there will be major ramifications for sellers. In the "before" shot, the top result was dropped to the 15th slot under the new search results.

It often takes many hours before a change of this nature can be seen by all users, but sometimes simply opening up a different browser (Internet Explorer versus Firefox, for example) lets you see the changes.

Let us know what you are seeing and what you think of the changes. We'll continue to keep an eye on things and may update this post with more observations.

I think the changes are great. Had 5 sellers in the catagory I sell in. 2 have closed their stores. Means more for me.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: Pat

Tue Mar 30 11:47:58 2010

It looks from these graphics that auction listings have dropped in relevancy versus store listings. Am I wrong?

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: Ina

Tue Mar 30 12:06:11 2010

Pat,It looks like "time ending" is a major factor in the search results algorithm in this search, so the more fixed-price listings, the harder for auctions to surface unless close to the auction's ending.

Not sure if results would be different for a search for commodity items.Ina

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: old timer

Tue Mar 30 12:08:29 2010

I think it is going to take some time for the impact of this change to become clear.

55 MILLION added to core! I worry that eBay's infrastructure will be able to handle this without major problems. But we will see. (Just as a side note, I did notice that it took eBay's system nearly 7 days to notify me of new items that were found on my favorite search lists. Is this a problem due to the recent growth on listings in core? If I have items set for email notification on my favorite search and I don't get the notification for nearly a week, that will be of no help if the listing was for a 7 day auction.)

Mostly I worry about how the eBay management wizards are going to react. Just how will they "adjust" search in the coming days, weeks, months to handle this? Unfortunately, based on history, I have little faith that the changes will benefit smaller sellers.

I know that my up front listing costs are expected to jump significantly (or would have if I continue to maintain my previous volume of listing). And the payoff is supposedly by benefit of full exposure. But just what "full exposure" is going to be, its effect on buyers' searches, and its value to sellers, is still unknown at this point.

And everybody should keep in mind that this probably does not reflect the possible tidal wave of free 99-cent auctions that may be just over the horizon.

It's going to be a wild ride! I'm glad I no longer rely entirely on eBay.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: Ebay No More

Tue Mar 30 12:10:44 2010

Interesting that many small sellers I know took the time to move their store inventory to other sites like Ecrater, Bonanzle, etc and will no longer be offering the entire inventory on Ebay. It will make driving Ebay buyers to other sites much easier. This only pushed more unique sellers off Ebay and on to other sites. In the process now paying Ebay less in fees.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: Ina

Tue Mar 30 12:11:54 2010

I've also observed a "Popular Products" gallery surfacing above or below search results that feature 4 listings - this may be eBay's way to "help" guide shoppers to listings so they won't be overwhelmed with the large number of search results.

I'd written about this feature previously, but haven't seen it much until today. Anybody else?

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: Patricia

Tue Mar 30 12:27:22 2010

Hmmm.......Ebay jumped the gun? I thought this change was going to be for April 1. Maybe I'm wrong but I did notice their sales were down the other day. I've been checking every day since the last half price auction listing fee day. Well, it gives the "look" of success but the buyers still aren't there. I'll have to sit back and watch this.

In core listings, do store listings have the same relevance in placement as regular BIN listings? If ''ending time'' is the most relevant factor in product search, that encourages people to list for shorter periods of time, thereby increasing eBay's profits from listing fees.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: RJ

Tue Mar 30 12:38:02 2010

To be honest, with all of the pimping of diamond sellers that ebay does, 101 million in total listings seems kind of low for all of store to be added to core.

A lot of sellers must have closed their stores, prior to this change, and moved on.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: Gary Bradshaw

Tue Mar 30 12:39:23 2010

I no longer buy $10-20 antique & collectible items to sell on ebay since my fees sky rocketed from 3 cents to 35 cents. The "increased exposure" argument remains to be seen!

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: USE eBay

Tue Mar 30 12:51:24 2010

I'm wondering how this happening on March 30th will effect the first quarter statistics. It certainly will impact sell through ratios. I noticed that the promotions up until yesterday added about 6 million listings in March, including the auction specials and the 10 cent Fixed price listings that ran almost the entire month. If they all were fixed price, that would come to $600,000 in increased listing fees alone for March. A tidy sum.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: mas

Tue Mar 30 14:37:21 2010

I found tons more listings today under my saved search. It is a VERY broad search to find things that are listed in wrong categories, etc.

Yesterday there were 29 pages of listings today there were 79. Needless to say I went for newly listed ''auction only'' items.

I think serious collectors are going to use the ''auction only'' search formula as everyone knows sellers want the most $$$ for the items they list.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: Ebay's Slow Death

Tue Mar 30 15:04:11 2010

@Patricia-

Pass the popcorn! I don't think I'm going to get much work done today.

I didn't know the rate change was coming today. I clicked on Griff's radio show e-mail about a half hour ago and it said:

''NEW PRICING (RATE CARDS) IN EFFECT TODAY!''

So, I went and looked, and sure enough, store items are going to be charged the new rate when they relist starting today. I wonder how many people still think April 1st is the change over?

I subscribed to the Premium Store. Then I went and searched one of my listings. 63 came up, and my Store listing was number 28, with 14 days to go. Sitting right above me was an auction listing with 6 hours left to go. They are a TRS also, and had 7 bids. Doesn't seem right, and I feel bad for them. They have just gotten buried behind fixed price listings. I noticed there are no more ''In Stores'' listed.

Also, when I upped my subscription it said:

''The monthly subscription fee for your Premium store is $49.95.Stores subscriptions are effective immediately. If you cancel or downgrade your store, you will still be billed for a minimum 30-day period.''

They are making sure they get a lot of new revenue locked in on these two days before the end of the quarter. It will be interesting to hear how Donahoe and execs. spin this last quarter.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: tekgems

Tue Mar 30 15:05:45 2010

lot of misunderstanding from sellers on how search and best match works. read And comprehend more. it'll be good for your business.

I just checked mine. It doesn't show up on my individual listing pages, or on my Store heading. However, if I click on ''My Ebay'', it shows there, and my ''Bronze'' level and 20% discount are still there.

Maybe it is an Ebay ''Glitch'' and will reappear before long on our listings. Let's hope so.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: Rich

Tue Mar 30 17:11:23 2010

When I bought before these changes; I searched using the link that said "include all items". Millions of other buyers also did and so millions of buyers were already seeing all the store inventory items anyway. Thereis no added exposure from any buyer who used the "include all items" link or the "buy it now only" link. Exposure will only be increased marginally, but not as much as you(Ina) and Ebay think. This is basically a money grab by Ebay and a con job by Ebay; with the promise of this huge increase in exposure; being used to justify a doubling of store's upfront fees. The only added exposure will be from buyers who didn't previously search using the "include all items" link. Glad you charted the number of listing todays from Powersellersunite. Please put this number back up in a month from now so we can see if Ebay grows from this "added exposure"; or if the promise of exposure fizzles and tens of thousands of stores pack up and leave Ebay

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: USE eBay

Tue Mar 30 17:27:52 2010

As of today, eBay was doing away with all Powerseller emblems and listings. We are no longer allowed to even discuss it amongst ourselves, it's so banned! (joke). So you did not get stripped, it's just not in use anymore.

eBay Listings Count Jumps 55% Today as Stores Move to Core

by: USE eBay

Tue Mar 30 17:33:21 2010

Rich -- the only difference is that now the store items are included in best match search which they might not have been before today, but were just listed after fixed price listings. I don't remember how it was as I didn't use it much. Too many listings to wade through, just like today.

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